The male red claw macro shrimp that I had didn't have any red on the claws when they were grown and their claws were a lot bigger/thicker than the females claws. I'm attaching a picture of a male (not a great picture but it shows the claws good) and female that I raised. Mine would eat crab bites or any other food they could pick up off of the tank floor. I tried to feed them food that I could make into smaller pieces that would sink because they would grab it and leave to eat it away from where the food was at. I saw one eating a snail too. From talking to other hobbyists, I suspect there are several different macro shrimp being sold under the name "red claw".

The male red claw macro shrimp that I had didn't have any red on the claws when they were grown and their claws were a lot bigger/thicker than the females claws. I'm attaching a picture of a male (not a great picture but it shows the claws good) and female that I raised. Mine would eat crab bites or any other food they could pick up off of the tank floor. I tried to feed them food that I could make into smaller pieces that would sink because they would grab it and leave to eat it away from where the food was at. I saw one eating a snail too. From talking to other hobbyists, I suspect there are several different macro shrimp being sold under the name "red claw".

thank you for the info.. wierd though.. mine do not look much like your male at all.. more like the female just with larger red claws

They will apparently eat pond snails (I have read this other places) but they leave my Sulawesi snails alone (including the babies). You can see some pictures of my adult alpha male and my other Red Claw Macros here . There will be only one alpha male in a tank (at least in my 65gal there is) and he will get bigger and darker then the other males. His claws will also get much thicker then other males or the females. The other males claws will be thicker and larger then the females but not anything like the alpha male.

The Red Claw Macro is an excellent introduction into the world of Macrobrachium shrimp. They are omnivores and eat pretty much anything they can get a hold off. My red claw macros accept all kinds of flake and pellet foods, and also eat hair and string algae that my dwarf shrimp cannot eat.. They can even be kept in planted tanks, since they leave the plants alone. The males of this shrimp have elongated claws with the dominant male in a tank having the longest, reddest and strongest claws. The females are smaller in size, have smaller claws and are generally much less aggressive.

Although many Macrobrachium species can only be kept individually due to their aggressiveness, this species can be kept in small harems with one male and several females. Although there can be some fights among the females in such a group, this does not happen very often and most of the time the shrimp live peacefully together. The male shrimp literally creates "law and order" among the females. These shrimp will, however, eat any small algae eating shrimp or small fish they can get a hold off and even clip off parts of the fins of fish when they are asleep at night. They are not predatory by nature, taking only advantage of opportune situations. In my tank they are living together with a pair of Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon) and there has not been a single problem. The Red Claw Shrimp will take care of any ramshorn or pond snail infestation you are looking to get rid off. They simply fish the snail out of its shell and consume it. Although there are reports that they also eat Malaysian Trumpet Snails (Melanoides tuberculata), I have not observed them eat any individuals of that species since M. tuberculata can seal its shell.

Since the Red Claw Macro is one of the larger species of aquarium suitable shrimp, it should be given at least a 10 gallon tank for a pair and larger tanks for small groups. The Red Claw Shrimp will then reward you with its interesting behavior, which includes taking food from your hand, "cleaning" your hand while sitting on it and rushing to the food during feeding time after smelling the food's location. In contrast to dwarf shrimp, which usually live around 1-2 years, this shrimp can live for many years. Also, it is a very hardy shrimp, which reproduces very readily and easily in captivity.

Although the Red Claw Macro is extremely popular and common in Europe (particularly Germany), it is a very rare shrimp in the US. Most individuals you will see offered for sale are imported shrimp. As with any rare shrimp species, we should make it our duty to establish breeding populations of this very interesting shrimp in captivity. Breeding of this shrimp happens almost "automatically" as long as proper conditions are given (i.e. clean water, food etc.).

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